Hop Henge Experimental IPA is our annual exercise in IBU escalation. An outrageous amount of Centennial and Cascade hops are added to each barrel, with a heavy dry-hop presence as well. It is dense and muscular, with a blend of crystal, pale and carastan malts creating an overall biscuity characteristic. It’s all hop, no apologies.

(Served in a tulip glass)
Best by 4/5/13
A- This beer pours a clear orange body with a thick creamy light beige head that last a good bit and a slow carbonation popping to the surface.

S- The juicy green herbal hops has a green citrus pith finish.

T- The pungent herbal hops is supported by a sweetness of malt that comes through as the beer opens up. There is a slightly juicy woody pine hop flavor that grows in the finish. The pungent pith with some bitterness lingers in the aftertaste.

M- the medium-full mouthfeel has an alcohol heat that is gentle but cuts the bitterness nicely. There is a creamy mouthfeel as long as the head last.

O- This big, hardy double IPA has nice a full hop bill and a nice alcohol heat that cuts some of the bitterness in the aftertaste. There is a nice sweetness for support aswell. This beer is a bit of a punch in the tongue, but that is a good thing. Just not a session beer.

Bottle says 9%ABVBold coppery gold color with a densely capped white foam sitting on top with a staying power. Finally after swifting down the foam keeps itself to a thick skim always present and mega amounts of caked on lacing coats the glass.

Aroma is pungent of orangy oiled hoppy citrus. Quite fresh, dark, oily, and orange. A bit of peach and mango can be found within the nose as well.

Solid firm taster for a Dbl. IPA. Nothing over the top or super extreme here. But moderately present with big dark orange tones. Lightly doughy bready maltyness flows underneath. Clean, respectful, and well rounded with a very natural sweetness that floats right down. Lightly floral finish with leftover orange oiled hoppyness.

Body is a solid medium if not more so. Clean, firm, and smooth with a nice mild tang of orange flavors delicately kept together with soft chewy-esque bready malts.

Hell of a solid brew and a great price too! $4.98 a bomber is a excellent deal for this Deschutes beauty.

Yet another brew received in a trade with russpowell, thanks Russ! Hop Henge pours a beautiful clear copper without any visible carbonation. The head is bright white and two fingers tall on the pour. The head fell rather quickly to a skimming but left thin sheet lacing on its way with fingers toward the top of the glass.

There's not a lot of aroma right upfront but each swirl brings out the layered hop complexity. A good deal of slightly overripe pineapple is the first that comes to mind followed by lightly sweetened grapefruit and a peppery spiciness that is reminiscent of plantains. An interesting hoppiness grows on me the more I smell. All of this has a light drizzling of caramel and a mild booziness that accentuates the hop profile.

The hop profile comes together more singularly in the flavor then the aroma. The caramel maltiness lays a solid foundation. The pineapple isn't as bold as the nose suggested nor is the grapefruit. Caramel rides all the way through with the hops flashing here and there showing characteristics of each flavor described. The plantain does show itself on the swallow with a slight spiciness that the alcohol fumes intensify. Hop Henge is very unique IIPA that I'm really enjoying.

The body upfront is medium but as it works through has a slight stick on the swallow. I can appreciate this kind of stick in a big IIPA. The hop profile leaves a lingering bitterness that tends to grow with each successive sip. I'm teetering between 4-4.5 so I'll stick with the 4.

This is an easy one to put away, especially when the abv is taken into account. I can already feel my cheeks warming up but it drinks as easily as I less alcoholic brew.

I really appreciate Deschutes beers and this is no exception. The deeper I dive into this one the more I like the uniqueness. Hop Henge is brewed with Centennial, Cascade, and a yet to be named variety that I'm guessing adds the spiciness. Hopefully this unnamed hop gets used in other brews along the way because it's out of the ordinary and I'd like to get to know it a little better.

May 18, 2007
Just got one of these from Duckboy a couple weeks ago. Wow, DB, this is pretty good. Plenty of hops, nice citrus and pine, and just enough of the oily resin to be interesting. Easy to drink on top of that, as it's not overpowering. As DB noted, probably not up with the top tier of DIPAs like Dreadnaught. But it's only a notch below them. This is one I would seek out if I could. I agree with TT that I would drink this all day if I could, which I couldn't because I'd be asleep after 4 of them. But why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

Served In: Pint Glass

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